BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19971, 4 July 1930, Page 21

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

NEW BILL PREPARED. [IKE fBESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, July 8. A hew Religious instruction in Schools Enabling Bill prepared by the Blble-in-SchoOlS Lea&ud, i« no# being subftiitted to the cOhtfdlllfig bodies of the various religious denominations for their approval or comment before it is introduced into the House. The new Bill differs from previous | liible-in-Schools Bills in several important respects. The onus of deciding whether religious instruction shall be given in tiib primary schools or hbt is thrown upon district Education Boards, who, if tney desire, may take a plebiscite of the parents concerned. The pro* visiOhs of the Bill are, therefore, permissive rather than mandatory, and no teacher if he or She desires otherwisoj is to be forced to give religiode insWUction. All Eoman Catholic teachers and children are, ipdo facto, to be exempt from the provisions of the Bill. The time to bo devoted each week to religious instruction and religious observances at the opening of schools is ndt to exceed tWo hOUrS in any one week, and nothing is to be taUght of a denominational character, and no attertipt is to be made to attach children to anjr particular denomiiiatiofl. The Bill provides that for use in religious Observances and instruction & committee of the churches convened by the Education Department shall driiW tig a syllabus and necessary manuals of Selected biblical passages, hymns, and prayers, subject to the final approval of the Education Department. For this purpose a meeting of representatives of (Jhfistiari Churches tb be convened by the Mifiistcr for Education is to be held. Every churCb Claiming to be a Christian Church, and having llot less than two thousands adherents, according to the census taken iii the year 1926, Bhall be entitled to send one delegate to the meeting, and to send an additional delegate for every one hundred thousand of its adherents as shown by that census, and a further additional delegate for any number of adherents not less than fifty thousand in excess of

any complete number of btie hubdred thousand. During the tim*JfiV6ii to feligiotil instructiofi ahjf ehlldfea wiio m&f bi Gxempted flrs td receive sepafftte instruct tion in se<iitlaf dfSfcpt that the Educ&tida SfiaM is empoWef ed td make other arrafegemetits whehetfer a parent dt £uardi*a of in f dhild concerhed obj&cti ttt tbfl cohflifiohl tinde# which SUdh ifistruetlob mtlst tro Jiveiu If th« introduction df siifch *Miii6u4 inStfhetiOii ind bbiservatices fts are provided f6? Under the Aet, iUtfolVfei an£ addition&l expenditure, those exempted from partcipatiOit are also to be eifcfcijJted frfiin cofltributlflg part of the p&yfflefit for any such additioMl expenditure involved.